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OLD CUMNOCK, Ayrshire

"The burgh stands in a sheltered hollow among the hills at the junction of the
Glaisnock and Lugar waters, and is traversed by the public road leading from
Kilmarnock to Dumfries. Its name is supposed
to have been derived from Cym, meaning a hollow valley; and cnoc, a
hill, which was usually pronounced Cumnock."

"The town in general presents a clean and prosperous appearance, principal part
of it being the Square, which was in old times a burying ground, and is now used as
a market place. The Parish Church stands in the centre of the Square. The three or
four principal streets contain good shops in departments.
The town was formerly celebrated for the manufacture of wooden snuff-boxes, and
small boxes every conceivable kind, decorated with ornamental painting. Except for
its martyr graves, and an interesting relic call the Blue Tower, used in Covenanting
times as a temporary barrack by the dragoons, the burgh
does not afford great scope for the ingenuity of the antiquary."

"Ayrshire Nights Entertainment: A Descriptive Guide to the History,
Traditions, Antiquities of the County of Ayr" by John MacIntosh of Galston,
Ayrshire, published in 1894, by John Menzies & Co. of Kilmarnock, Dunlop and
Drennan.

There are two microfilm readers, and you can book a half-day session in advance.
This location houses the main genealogical sources for the local area, as well as
local history collections. No charges. The family history section is very helpful to
visiting researchers.

Old Cumnock is a large parish to the east of Ayrshire centred on the small town
of Old Cumnock some 14 miles east of Ayr. Old Cumnock was the centre of of one of
Ayrshire's largest coal mining areas. The deep coal mines are all closed now and
the town and surrounding area have undergone some development.
The area surrounding Old Cumnock is mostly given to dairy and sheep farming.

An 1837 description of Cumnock and Auchinleck, including a listing of the key
personalities of the towns, is given in this extract from Pigot's Directory for Ayrshire. The transcript was provided
by Keith Muirhead from
Queensland.

Old Cumnock is noted as the long term home of James Keir
Hardie (1856-1915), coal-miner, socialist and labour leader.

Dumfries House is a beautiful house built 1754-59 by the Adams brothers with its
associated estate. It is located on the outskirts
of Old Cumnock, on the road to Ochiltree. The house belonged to the Marquis of Bute,
having been largely the creation of the 3rd Marquess.
There are private papers belonging to the estate, including details of staff and
employees, but they are still in the hands of the Crichton-Stuart family. The
Archivist for the estate may be contacted at: Andrew McLean, Archivist, Mount Stuart
House and Gardens, Isle of Bute PA20 9LR, Scotland; Telephone:
01700 503877, Facsimile: 01700-505313.